Ascaris

It is light yellowish white in color, with three lips on the head and a narrow neck wing membrane on the side of the body. Canine roundworms are characterized by a small stomach at the junction of the esophagus and intestines. The male worm is 50 to 110 mm long with a curved tail end; the female worm is 90 to 180 mm long with a straight tail end. The color and shape of lion roundworms (Toxocara lions) are similar to human roundworms, but they have no small stomach. The male worms are 35 to 70 mm long, and the female worms are 30 to 100 mm long. Symptoms and hazards: Ascariasis is a parasitic disease common to humans, animals and animals. After cats and dogs are infected with roundworms, they will gradually lose weight, increase their abdominal circumference, develop retardation, vomit, and have heterophilia. When a large number of infections occur, they can cause intestinal obstruction, intussusception, and even intestinal perforation. Ascaris larvae pass through the lungs, causing respiratory symptoms, coughing, In severe cases, it is difficult to breathe and manifests as pneumonia. Roundworms seriously affect the growth and development of cats and dogs, and severe infections can lead to death.

Hookworm

Hookworm is a small light yellowish-white nematode. The head end is slightly curved dorsally. The mouth pouch is very developed. There are 3 canine teeth on both sides of the ventral surface of the front edge of the mouth pouch. The teeth are curved inwards like hooks. Male worms are 10 to 12 mm long, and female worms are 14 to 16 mm long. The two ends of Ancylostoma stenocephalus are slightly thinner and smaller than Ancylostoma caninum. There is a half-moon-shaped cutting plate on each side of the ventral surface of the front edge of the mouth sac. Male worms are 5 to 8.5 mm long, and female worms are 7 to 10 mm long.
Symptoms and hazards: In severe infection, the mucous membranes will be pale and emaciated, and the coat will be thick and dull and easy to fall off. Loss of appetite, heterophilia, vomiting, digestive disorders, alternating episodes of diarrhea and constipation. The feces may be bloody or black, and in severe cases may be tar-like, with a rancid smell. If the larvae invade through the skin, the skin will become inflamed and itchy. Some limbs may be swollen and later ulcerated, or the corners of the mouth may be eroded. Puppies under 3 weeks old that are infected with hookworm in the womb or colostrum can cause severe anemia, leading to coma and death.

Heartworm

Heartworm (also known as heartworm) is yellow-white and elongated in the shape of a vermicelli. The male worm is 120~160 mm long, with a spirally curled tail; the female worm is 250~300 mm long. The viviparous larvae are called microfilariae, which live in the blood. They are 307 to 322 microns long and have no sheath. Heartworms need dog fleas, Anopheles mosquitoes or Culex mosquitoes as intermediate hosts to complete their life cycle.
Symptoms and hazards: The earliest symptom is chronic cough, but there are no other symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection. It is aggravated during exercise, or the sick dog is prone to fatigue during exercise. As the disease progresses, sick dogs develop hyperpalpitations, weak and intermittent pulses, and murmurs in the heart. The liver area is painful on palpation and hepatomegaly. Fluid accumulation in the chest and abdomen, and edema all over the body. Difficulty breathing. In cases of long-term infection, pulmonary heart disease is very obvious. In the final stage, death occurs due to general weakness or collapse during exercise. Sick dogs are often accompanied by nodular dermatosis, which is characterized by itching and multiple focal nodules that tend to rupture. Skin nodules are pyogenic granulomatous inflammation in the center of blood vessels, and microfilariae are common in the blood vessels around pyogenic granulomas. Right ventricle visible on X-rayDilation, aorta, pulmonary artery dilation.

Tapeworm

Also known as Diplopodium caninum, from the family Cystaceae. The body length is 100-400 mm, with a total of about 120 segments, elongated, and the widest is about 3 mm. The scolex is small, slightly rhombus-shaped, with a rod-shaped apical process and 3-4 rows of small hooks. The body color is light red with yellow. It lives in the small intestines of dogs, cats and other carnivores, and can cause intestinal obstruction, anemia and other symptoms in severe infections. The intermediate hosts are dog fleas, dog lice, etc. There are many types of tapeworms that parasitize in the intestines of cats and dogs. The most common ones are the following: canine tapeworms (diploid tapeworms, melon tapeworms), midline tapeworms (midline tapeworms), alveolar tapeworms (marginal tapeworms), bean-shaped tapeworms Taenia serrata (Taenia serrata), Taenia multicephalus (Taenia multicephalus), Echinococcus granulosus, Mansoni tapeworm (Schizocephala leguminosa).
Symptoms and dangers: Except for cats and dogs that occasionally shed mature proglottids, mild infections usually go unnoticed by their owners. Severe infection may cause abnormal appetite (bulimia, heterophilia), vomiting, chronic enteritis, alternating diarrhea and constipation, anemia, weight loss, easy agitation or depression, and some may cause spasm or limb paralysis. When the worms form into clumps, they can block the intestines, leading to acute abdominal diseases such as intestinal obstruction, intussusception, volvulus, and intestinal rupture. If a sick dog is found to have gravid tapeworm segments dripping down from the anus, or short tapeworm segments in the feces, it can help diagnose the disease. The segments are white, the smallest ones are like rice grains, and the ones in dogs can be about 9 mm long.